News to share around the water cooler

As if a weekend in Las Vegas isn't wild enough for Southern Californians, a Nevada entrepreneur is about to add five more hours of party to either end.

After striking an agreement with Union Pacific Railroad last week, the Las Vegas Railway Express is one step closer to bringing to life the X Train, a luxurious "party train" complete with big-screen TVs, recliners and two ultra lounges.

"The whole idea is when you get on a train, you feel like you're in Las Vegas," said Michael Barron, president of the $100 million venture that hopes to launch its maiden voyage on New Year's Eve 2013. "It's essentially a nightclub on wheels."

Tourists can't get from Southern California to Las Vegas by rail alone, and Barron's company isn't the first to try and fix that. The much-talked-about XpressWest project proposes a high-speed train connecting Sin City to the region from which it draws 25 percent of its tourists.

But it's a multi-billion-dollar proposal that would require setting new tracks, and it's often panned as a "train to nowhere" because the first phase would start in relatively obscure Victorville, about 100 miles outside Los Angeles.

The X Train proposal calls for an Amtrak crew aboard a 576-passenger train that runs at standard speeds.

Tickets for the adults-only train would cost $99 each way and include a meal and beverage.

Doses of generic Lipitor recalled for glass particles

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals is recalling several doses of its generic version of Lipitor because some batches of the cholesterol fighter may contain small glass particles.

The generic drugmaker's website says it is recalling 10-, 20- and 40-milligram doses of atorvastatin calcium tablets. The recall is tied to certain lot numbers of the drug. It is not tied to an 80-milligram version of the tablets.

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals is a subsidiary of Indian drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.

Wal-Mart suspends workers in India in corruption probe

The news comes at a sensitive time for foreign retailers in India. Opposition politicians shut down Parliament this week in protest over the ruling Congress Party's decision to allow companies such as Wal-Mart to sell directly to consumers. Many fear that will hurt millions of small Indian businesses.